I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field orthopaedics, and more particularly to orthopaedic braces having a self-contained heating and cooling apparatus and system.
II. Description of the Related Art
Many orthopaedic injuries and conditions require the use of both and orthopaedic brace as well as heating, cooling or alternating heating and cooling. Several different braces are offered for knees, backs and shoulders. For example, several knee braces are looped over the leg and completely surround the knee area, which can often cause binding in the back of the knee when the user bends the knee.
Furthermore, when heating and cooling are required, bulky ice packs, heating bottles and hot/cold gel backs are often used to heat and cool the affected areas. These heating and cooling instruments are often bulky and must be secured with elastic bandages and the like. It is often also difficult to use these heating and cooling instruments in conjunction with braces. Therefore, the user must often be immobile when heating and cooling. When using gel packs, the heating and cooling is often extreme. For cooling, the gel pack is often put in a freezer. For heating, the gel back is typically put in a microwave oven. As such, the cold gel packs can often be initially too cold. The heated gel packs can often initially cause scalding. In addition, the heat and cool can dissipate quickly over time. A further disadvantage is that the heat and cold cannot be manually controlled and adjusted for the present need.